The present invention relates to systems and methods for guiding and steering wave-energy radiation and reception sensitivities such as, for example, to propagate acoustic waves. Fundamentally, “point” acoustic sources radiate sound equally in all directions and, by acoustic reciprocity, point acoustic receivers are equally sensitive to incoming sound from all directions. Arrays of acoustic sources/receivers can be implemented to substantially enhance directional and spectral sensitivities. Some systems implement “phase delays” to control spatial distribution of incoming/outgoing signals. In particular, some systems use techniques such as “beamforming” to create and steer acoustic energy by active delays.